The Bachelor: Season 28
by Athenachild101
Summary: Watch Percy's thrilling journey to find love unfold on the most dramatic season of "The Bachelor" yet.
1. The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose

**Prologue**

_The Bachelorette Season 20: After the Final Rose_

Percy stood just offstage as one of the assistant producers made sure everything was set. His suit, shirt and pants were all pressed, his hair was perfect, and his mic was clipped securely to the inside of his suit jacket. Satisfied that he was stage-ready, the producer gave him a thumbs up and a pat on the back before walking back to his station offstage. Percy took a deep breath. Just a few more moments until...

"And now, joining us on stage for the first time tonight," Percy jolted as he heard his cue, fully aware of the magnitude of what he was about to get into. No going back now, he supposed.

"Our next Bachelor, Percy Jackson!"

Percy blew out one last breath and walked out to shake Chris Harrison's hand, waving at the audience who were now on their feet clapping. Even Piper was there in the front row, clapping and smiling at him in a way that would have made his heart flutter just a few months ago.

He'd been so sure that Piper was the one for him. When he was chosen to be on her season of The Bachelorette, he knew they instantly had a connection. It had taken him until the week of Hometown dates to realize that their connection was a deep and strong friendship, but not the passion and pull of someone he was in love with. They parted after his hometown date on relatively good terms, both having come to the realization that their relationship didn't have the spark it needed at about the same time. And anyways, Percy was happy for her- and for Jason. His best friend in the house had gotten engaged to the woman he fell in love with, and now Percy had the chance for the same happy ending. As long as he didn't blow it before it even began.

"Take a seat, Percy" Chris gestured towards the couch, and Percy sat, wiping his palms on his pants as he did. "So how are you feeling? Excited to meet the ladies in just a few weeks, or nervous?"

"Definitely more excited than nervous, Chris" Percy responded, glad that he had gotten a list of the questions beforehand. Although he was pretty sure that the contract he signed was final, it wouldn't be a good look if the Bachelor couldn't form a coherent sentence before the show had even started. "I can't wait to meet all of them and begin my journey to find my future wife."

He glanced out at the audience and saw Connor and Frank smiling at him. Seeing them look genuinely excited for him boosted his spirits- he was thrilled to be the Bachelor, but knew that there were several other guys who also had hoped for this opportunity.

"...think you would be a good fit for our next Bachelor, Percy, then head over to our website and fill out the application form for a chance to be one of the 35 lucky women to appear on the Bachelor!" Chris smiled, and the cameras panned towards Percy, who smiled and winked at the camera before it moved again to get one final shot of Piper and Jason as Chris ended the show.

Percy hesitated in his seat a moment longer, relieved that the show was over, but knowing that his road had just begun. He stood and walked over to mingle with the others from his season, but was interrupted by Piper's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey-" she said "you're gonna do great, you know. Don't worry about it. I cried a lot, but it wasn't as bad as it looked." They laughed together, knowing Piper's journey had been nothing if not challenging. "Seriously though, it's worth it," she continued. "I mean yeah it kind of sucks being under so much pressure but you get to go on a bunch of dates and fall in love and all that. Just- don't worry. You'll be awesome. Chris knows what he's doing."

"Thanks, Piper." Percy replied. "And hey- don't have your wedding while I'm gone or I'll be so mad." She rolled her eyes and walked away, and Percy turned towards the exits, ready to go home and enjoy spending time with his family while he could.

His journey might be long and difficult, but he sure hoped that it would be worth it in the end.


	2. The Bachelor: Season 28, Episode 1

**Season 28, Episode 1: The First Rose Ceremony**

Percy tried to focus as the producer walked him through the schedule for the night one last time. It was 9pm, and the contestants would be arriving in just a couple minutes. Then it was just a matter of learning 30 names and deciding which 22 of the women he could see himself potentially marrying.

"Just listen to your instincts" she was telling him. "Usually finding 22 of them that you want to keep is the hard part!" Percy laughed nervously, and although he could tell the producer didn't buy it, she patted him on the shoulder before heading inside the mansion, leaving him standing nervously on the walkway. He was still lost in thought as Chris Harrison walked up to him, camera crew in tow.

"You ready for this?" Chris whispered to Percy as they shook hands.

"Hopefully." Percy responded with a tight smile. Chris winked at him as he turned towards the cameras and began to reel off the scripted lines to explain to the viewers what they were about to see. As he finished, Percy could see the gate open at the far end of the walkway and the first limousine pulled through.

Chris stepped away into the shadows of the mansion as the first car drew nearer, and Percy tried to still his shaking hands. He felt the lights flash in his eyes and as the car parked in front of him, he could swear his stomach felt like someone had poured a jug of gasoline down his throat and then lit a match right next to him. And then the car door opened.

The first girl stepped out and smiled confidently at him before gracefully picking up her dress and walking over to where Percy stood. "Hi!" she bubbled. "I'm Silena, and honestly I'm so glad you're the Bachelor. I wouldn't have wanted to do this if it was anyone else!"

Percy's nerves were momentarily calmed, partially because the girl in front of him was extremely pretty and seemed genuinely friendly. He smiled back at her. "I'm glad I get to do this too- and I look forward to talking to you inside the mansion". Silena smiled at him again before giving a little wave and walking cheerily towards the doors just behind him. He let out another breath, and turned back to face the limo again, aware that the night had barely just begun.

The next hour was a barrage of perfume, makeup, and names. God, the names. If these girls didn't kill him, then trying to learn their names most certainly would. A few of the women stood out in his mind already: a redhead who had brought him a beautiful painting of a rose, a dark haired girl who he'd been certain was going to punch him until she gave him one of the kindest smiles of the night, and a blonde who immediately struck him with her fierce eyes and confident smile. There had been a few disasters as well- a tiny girl named Lacy had tripped on her dress as she got out of the limo and face planted into the asphalt, and a muscular girl had almost knocked the wind out of him as she gave him a hug. Still, Percy was feeling optimistic as he followed the final woman (a sweet girl with a southern accent named Hazel (into the mansion). A producer handed him a glass of champagne to toast with, and Percy stepped into the middle of the sitting room which was now buzzing with 30 women.

"Ladies, it's been a pleasure meeting you all for the first time, and I'm excited to grow our connection as the night continues. Thank you all for being here, and now that I've met all of you, I'm so hopeful that my future wife is in this room". Percy took a sip of the champagne, and as soon as the bubbles hit his tongue he felt a hand on his arm.

"Can I steal you for a moment?" a pretty brunette- Katie, Percy thinks- asked him. Percy nodded, and set down his glass before leading the girl out into the courtyard.

"So," Katie began once they had sat down on a long couch, "I just thought I could introduce myself so you could, you know, get to know me and I could get to know you! I'm from Nevada, and I work at a boutique with my sister."

Katie kept chattering as Percy adjusted his seat on the couch. He had never really been a fan of small talk, but he was definitely in for a long night of it. After Katie, there were 29 other women to get to know, and he was sure that he would perfect his fake laugh before the night was done. He bid farewell to Katie after a pleasant conversation about each of their state's flowers, and stood up to find a new person to talk to.

The redhead who had given him the rose painting was sitting on a bench just a short way from the couch, and Percy sat down next to her. She smiled at him, and after a moment of hesitation on his part, she began the conversation. "Rachel," she said.

"I'm sorry?" Percy replied.

"Rachel. I'm Rachel. I know you met, like, 30 of us just now. So I'm not offended that you don't remember me. It's a lot to remember". She flung her hands wildly about as she talked, and Percy laughed- a real laugh, not the fake one he'd practiced in the mirror while getting ready.

"I remember you. Well, I remember your painting. And your hair. Maybe not your name though- I'm not too good at that sort of thing," Percy responded sheepishly. "So, Rachel, what do you do?"

She shrugged. "Right now I work at a museum, but I'd love to be an art teacher someday, or own my own gallery. I live in New York though, so getting to see all the art in the museums for free definitely makes it worth the boring paperwork."

"I live in New York too!" Percy replied excitedly, happy to have discovered a commonality, before realizing that she probably already knew that about him. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Rachel, and I hope we can continue this conversation later". She nodded enthusiastically as he excused himself.

His next two conversations didn't go quite as well- one was a woman named Kelli who flat-out told him that she had come on the show hoping for Frank to be the Bachelor "but was willing to give him a chance", and another was a woman named Phoebe with whom he seemed to have absolutely nothing in common.

He was beginning to fear his first two conversations were just flukes when the blonde with the intense eyes appeared.

"Annabelle, right?" Percy guessed.

She shook her head apologetically. "Close. Annabeth. It's fine- it's a tricky one." Percy cursed himself internally. He wasn't sure why, but he had wanted to impress her. "I'm guessing you are sick of small talk, so I thought we'd jump straight to the big stuff: pizza or macaroni and cheese?"

Percy wasn't sure what he had been expecting her to say, but it certainly wasn't that. He let out his second real laugh of the night (at this rate, maybe he wouldn't master his fake laugh after all), and took in Annabeth's smile. "Pizza. Definitely." Percy responded, and the blonde nodded enthusiastically, clearly satisfied with his answer. Percy opened his mouth again, ready to ask another silly question, but he was interrupted by another woman in a hot pink dress making her way over to him. The other girl- Drew- grabbed his shoulder and looked at Annabeth.

"I'm just going to grab Percy for a minute. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get another chance to talk to him eventually." Annabeth looked like she was going to say something for a moment, but then sighed and relinquished her seat to Drew, who immediately sat down next to Percy and crossed her legs. Percy wasn't an idiot- he knew that the interruption would probably cause tension in the mansion later, but he also wasn't blind, and Drew was... quite attractive. She leaned towards him and Percy was hit with a wave of perfume.

"Hi Drew," Percy began graciously. "How has your night been so far?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. We can skip the boring stuff. I'm sure you've asked that question 50 times already tonight". It was true, and Percy appreciated that she seemed to be authentic rather than simply trying to kiss up to him like some of the other contestants.

"Fair enough. What do you do?" Percy asked her.

"I'm a model and a social media marketer," she responded, seeming bored. "Here's a more interesting question: why did you leave Piper's season last year?"

Percy was a bit taken aback by her abrasiveness, but didn't have any qualms about answering the question. "Um, just no chemistry, I guess. We were more of friends than anything else."

Drew nodded and leaned in towards him. "Hopefully that won't be an issue between us," she whispered before kissing him.

In theory, Percy knew that he would be kissing a multitude of women as soon as the first night, and although he would never admit it, he was a bit glad that Drew took the initiative. It took some of the pressure off of him, even for later conversations of the night. Drew pulled away from him and squeezed his leg before standing up to head back inside the mansion, turning back halfway to wink at him one more time.

In total, Percy kissed three girls in his initial conversations. Drew was the first, the second was Silena, the woman who had been the first out of the limo, and the third was a brunette named Calypso who Percy was pretty sure had eyes so warm that they could single handedly melt the continent of Antarctica.

By the time Chris Harrison tapped him on the shoulder with the first impression rose for him to hand out, Percy's brain was spinning with conversations and factoids about many of the women. A few stood out in his mind as options for the first impression rose, including Rachel, Annabeth, Drew, and another woman named Reyna, but when he stood up with the rose he found himself walking back to Calypso. Seeing her smile and getting a second kiss upon giving her the rose made him confident in his decision, and for his first of many roses, he felt he had chosen well.

Percy looked at the watch he was wearing, and was surprised to find it was already 5 am. The nearest producer beckoned him into a room behind the mansion, where he was surrounded with pictures of each of the ladies with their name written beneath. Some of the eliminations were easy- did Kelli really expect a rose after telling him that she would have preferred he not be the bachelor?- but some were difficult, as there were quite a few women who he didn't have the opportunity to talk to and he wasn't sure if he was about to make a mistake that would end with him eliminating his soulmate before they had a chance to connect.

Chris came in to bring Percy inside the rose room, and as Percy saw the plate of roses in front of him, he felt a new confidence in what he was about to do.

Picking up the first rose, he looked up, smiled, and called the first name: "Rachel." She looked surprised before smiling and squeezing past the two women in front of her on the stairs and walking towards him to receive the second rose of the night.

The ceremony went faster than expected, but as Percy called out the final name of the night (a woman named Kinzie he hadn't had a chance to talk to), he felt slightly numb inside. He gave the requisite hugs to the eight eliminated women, but as Leilia, Phoebe, Ella, Mellie, Sara, June, Kelli, and Margo each tearfully exited the mansion, he felt confident in his decision.

He raised the champagne glass handed to him by a producer, and toasted the women:

"To the start of a wonderful journey, and to the beginning of an incredible love story."

* * *

_Thank you for all of the follows and favorites of the first chapter! I am so grateful for any reviews you leave and I hope that you enjoyed the first real installment in Percy's Bachelor journey._

_-Athenachild101_


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